Lothar Stempniewski

Modern buildings constructed in earthquake prone areas are equipped with the latest technology to withstand a seismic event, but what about the older buildings? Retrofitting can be a costly and disruptive process, so the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a type of fabric that can be applied to building walls to make them better able to withstand earthquakes. The developers hope the material will help to buy older buildings some time and make them more prepared to stand up to the shaking of an earthquake without sustaining grave damage. In brief earthquakes, researchers are hopeful that it could prevent damage altogether.